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Hunger for Colour: Support your community by swapping cans of food for Resene testpots

08 Feb 2023

It’s that time of year again when New Zealanders all over the country will be visiting Resene and donating cans of food in exchange for Resene paint testpots.

Now entering its ninth year, the Resene Hunger for Colour food fundraiser will be giving people a chance to donate food and help vulnerable families in their community by swapping two cans of food for a 60–80ml testpot of Resene paint.

Throughout the month of February, people can swap up to 14 cans of food for seven Resene testpots, with all cans donated at Resene stores given to local Salvation Army foodbanks.

In nine years, this annual fundraiser has helped put more than 300,000 cans on foodbank shelves and seen Resene donate over $1,000,000 worth of paint. In 2022, The Salvation Army provided more than 90,000 food parcels to New Zealanders struggling to put food on the table.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing generosity by ordinary Kiwis shown through Resene Hunger for Colour. Being able to rely on Resene each year really makes a difference in helping ensure families don’t go hungry,” says Jono.

“This campaign is particularly helpful as there is a Resene ColorShop almost everywhere we have a foodbank. Knowing that we can restock our shelves with food to share with those in need is wonderful and an amazing way to start the year.” 

Resene Marketing Manager Karen Warman says “The campaign has generated fantastic feedback over the past eight years and we’re delighted to be able to help our fellow Kiwis. People comment how much they like knowing they are donating something tangible that will help someone in need in their local community while giving them a chance to be creative with Resene testpots, a popular, versatile product which encourages people to come in,” says Ms Warman.

The Hunger for Colour campaign is a yearly highlight for craft and community groups, especially the popular rock painting groups, who eagerly anticipate the chance to restock and choose new colours. It’s also very popular with renovators as it provides the chance to try out multiple decorating colours for the cost of two food cans. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

If you’re looking for a DIY project to try to use with your new Resene testpots, give this one a go:

Colourful study buddy DIY pencil holder

Back to school has never been cooler with this pencil holder which will get your creative juices flowing and make studying just a little bit easier. An easy project for budding artists and beginner woodworkers. 

You will need:

Wood – 90mm of 90mmx42mm untreated pine 
Electric drill and an 8mm drill bit 
Sandpaper 
Compass 
Small artist paintbrush 
Resene testpots in your choice of colours - Fleur used:  Resene Influential, Resene Vibe, Resene Undercurrent, Resene Bowie, Resene Rose of Sharon, Resene Glamour Puss, Resene Blackjack, Resene Tree Frog and Resene Boogie Wonderland. 

Step 1: Cut your wood to a 90mm length. Use sandpaper to remove any rough edges. Mark where you want the holes to go.

 

Step 2: Use an electric drill with an 8mm drill bit to drill your holes. Try to keep the drill as straight up and down as possible while drilling. Use sandpaper to remove any rough bits. Roll up a small piece of sandpaper to sand the inside of each hole.  

Step 3: Use a compass to draw a circle on top  of the wood and half circles on the sides of the block. If you don’t have a compass, use a jar lid.  

Step 4: With a small artist paintbrush, paint in the circles in your chosen Resene testpot colours.  

Experiment with different lengths of wood block and different painting techniques. Painters masking tape gives a great straight edge and using the end of a small paintbrush is a good way of getting uniform dots. For this project Fleur used Resene Influential, Resene Vibe, Resene Undercurrent, Resene Bowie, Resene Rose of Sharon, Resene Glamour Puss, Resene Blackjack, Resene Tree Frog and Resene Boogie Wonderland. Wall in Resene Carrara.  

project and images Fleur Thorpe 

For more ideas using Resene testpots see these DIY Projects from Habitat.

Published: 08 Feb 2023